Han Jiu was poised to become the ruler of Han, yet his succession remained unsettled. His younger brother stayed in Eastern Zhou. Zhou intended to win favor with the prince but feared Han Jiu might fail to secure the throne.
Qiwu Hui advised: “Send him back escorted by a hundred chariots. If Han Jiu ascends successfully, we claim the troops were dispatched as bodyguard; if Han Jiu loses the throne, we say we deliver a rebel captive.”
Note
Prepare alternate excuses beforehand to avoid diplomatic losses no matter how the situation shifts.
Late Warring States Legalist, quotes this case to display flexible diplomatic stratagem.
Han Jiu
Candidate monarch of Han with uncertain succession.
Han Jiu’s younger brother
Hostage-like noble staying in Eastern Zhou.
Qiwu Hui
Astute counselor of Eastern Zhou skilled in contingency planning.
Succession turbulence
Royal heirship disputes were common among Warring States vassal states; princes often resided in other kingdoms as collateral.
Eastern Zhou’s geopolitics
After the fall of Western Zhou, Eastern Zhou was a tiny enclave surviving by shrewd diplomatic maneuver amid powerful surrounding states.
Dual-pretext diplomacy
Using one troop deployment to prepare two opposite official explanations was prevalent for small states to hedge political risks.
韓咎立為君，未定也。弟在周，周欲重之，而恐韓咎不立也。綦毋恢曰：「不若以車百乘送之。得立，因曰為戒；不立，則曰來效賊也。」
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